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The Showdown: is Gran Turismo 5 Prologue just a demo?

Not content with the disc-versus-download debate, Frank and Ben square off …

The Showdown continues. In the Showdown, we pick a topic, flip a coin to see which side each OT writer gets to argue, then present the results to you. Today, we argue the long-standing question of whether or not Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is a demo. Be sure to check out the full review of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue for Ben's thoughts on the entire game, and the price point.

Frank: When Gran Turismo 5 Prologue was first described and its release confirmed in North America, Ben and I considered doing this very showdown. The long-standing debate about this piece of software—which marks the first time a Prologue title in the Gran Turismo series has hit western shores—has been whether or not its just a demo. Now that we've both had the chance to sit down and hammer through the game, we've found ourselves raring to discuss our thoughts.

Having worked through the bulk of the included events now, enjoyed quite a few online matches, and unlocked my candy orange Amuse S2000, I'm standing by my original opinion that the game is far from just a demo. The car selection alone outdoes pretty much every other racer out there that's not branded with Gran Turismo or Forza. The presentation of the entire title is top-notch, the courses are wildly varied and nowhere near as limited as the number alone makes it seem, the full range of options and tweaking is available (albeit without the upgrades), and the racing is tight. With the forthcoming update that brings improved network functionality and car damage, there's no question that the game is a full experience worthy of the price it costs.

Ben: Well, I'm not sure if it's just a demo, but it's certainly a demo. What is a demo? Let's arrive at a definition we can agree with: parts of a game released before the full game, in order to get people excited about the product and secure their future purchase. That's Prologue, to a tee. Just because it's much larger than other demos and costs $40, that doesn't make it anything more than a demo, it just means that for many people, it's worth the price of admission. I'm not saying it's not a good buy, I'm just saying it would be hard to justify as a full game.

Think of a full game that launched with online play but doesn't allow you to play against your friends. A full game that only has six tracks. A full game with a slate of events you can beat in one or two moderately lengthy sessions. For many people, the $40 price point is a deal, as they'll spend hours upon hours improving their times and tuning their cars. Personally, I've put a ton of time into the game, and I would have purchased it even if I didn't have to review it. But that doesn't take away from the fact the main thing it has done is get me psyched about how awesome the full version is going to be.

Frank: Does that mean the initial game in a series is just a demo for the sequel? I think it's unfair to label Prologue a demo. The full Gran Turismo 5 product may share little with this Prologue release outside of the engine. By labeling Prologue a demo, you undermine the substantial amount of content included on the Prologue disc (or in the download). Gran Turismo has always been about providing the painstaking "simulation" engine more so than anything else, and that engine is fully intact and functional in Prologue. You can tweak your cars for hundreds upon hundreds of hours without limitation. That's far greater than the amount of customization and content you'd find in a demo.

The question to be answered is really whether or not Gran Turismo 5 Prologue can hold its weight as a standalone release. The price-point, the amount of content, and the promise of future upgrades that will alleviate the few problems you mentioned (such as not being able to invite friends to a race) are what distinguishes Prologue as a full, substantial retail game of its own. Will the full release of Gran Turismo 5 be more fully-featured? Undoubtedly. But that doesn't change the fact that for now, and for at least a year—and potentially more, knowing Polyphony Digital—Prologue is going to be all racing fans need on the PlayStation 3.

Ben: I dislike the idea of counting hypothetical future updates as a plus now. We don't know when they're coming and we don't know exactly what they'll have, so we have to look at the game as it ships. It's a great game, but the whole thing feels like a limited part of a greater whole you'll get when you buy the real Gran Turismo 5. Saying this has a good amount of content isn't enough to get rid of the "demo" charge leveled against it. The big-boy GT5 is going to have so much content this is going to feel like the five minute teaser you get from most other demos.

The online play is limited. The single-player events are few. The tracks repeat and repeat. Even with seventy cars, the dealerships in the game feel empty compared to what we'll get in the final version. Everything is a taste of something that will become bigger and better down the road. For many of us, it's worth the $40, but that doesn't take away the fact that we're paying for a demo.

Own up to it, embrace, learn-it-live-it-love-it. Polyphony Digital has put together a demo that's not only going to sell people on the full game, it's going to earn a ton of money doing it. The fact that few people are complaining about the pricing only means the full game is going to be masterful.

What say you, readers? Did Gran Turismo 5 Prologue end up being more than a demo?